Discussion 3: Special Collections: Cuneiform Tablets

Comprehensive review flashcards covering Mesopotamian kingship, cuneiform mechanics, tablet reading, text genres, and specific collection tablets.

Which ruler of Uruk united the Sumerian city-states of Umma and Lagash and assumed the title Lugal.kalam.ma?

Lugalzagesi

Where did Sargon kill Lugalzagesi after defeating him and founding the Akkadian empire?

At the temple to Enlil in Nippur (E.kur)

What symbol of divinity appears on the stele of Naram-Sin, the ruler blamed for the fall of Akkad?

The Horns of Divinity

Which group, also known as Amurru or Martu, lived by agro-pastoralism in the "Zone of Uncertainty" ($200\,\text{mm}$ rainfall zone) and defeated the Ur III dynasty under Naplanu?

The Amorites

In what direction are cuneiform lines read, and in what manner should a tablet be flipped to read the other side?

Lines are read left to right, and tablets must be flipped vertically (top to bottom, rather than horizontally like a book).

What is the order for reading columns on the front and back of a multi-column cuneiform tablet?

Columns are read left to right on the front (obverse) and right to left on the back (reverse).

What phrase did scribes write on a tablet to indicate that a section of the text they were copying was broken or damaged?

"Hepi hepi"

Which ancient literary composition is written on this Old Babylonian tablet housed at the Penn Museum?

The Epic of Gilgamesh

What three functional roles can a single cuneiform sign play depending on context?

It can be a logogram (word sign), a determinative (semantic classifier), or a phonetic syllabic value.

Using the cuneiform sign GIŠ as an example, what are its functions as a logogram and as a determinative?

As a logogram, it means "tree" or "plant"; as a determinative, it precedes words designating wood or plant objects (e.g., GIŠ.EREN for cedar).

In the cuneiform writing of Gilgamesh (DINGIR.GIŠ), what does the determinative DINGIR signify?

It indicates divinity ("god").

What substance was utilized as an eraser when inscribing clay tablets with a reed stylus?

Water

What ten major genres of cuneiform writing are identified in ancient tablet collections?

Letters, literary texts, myths, ritual texts, royal inscriptions, economic texts, administrative texts, mathematical texts, astrological texts, and seals.

What monumental basalt stele featuring a relief of a king before a deity and an extensive legal inscription is pictured here?

The Stele of Hammurabi (Hammurabi stele)

What type of administrative artifact from the Ur III period is displayed on the left alongside its modern clay impression on the right?

A cylinder seal

What is the standard Akkadian opening formula for letters, such as Tablet 96213?

"a-na be-li-ni qí-bí-ma" ("say to our lord")

In letter Tablet 96213 from Dūr-Abī-ēšuḫ, what issue regarding barley supplies is reported to the lord?

Of the $180\,\text{gur}$ ($54{,}000\,\text{liters}$) brought by Gimil-ili, rations were given for Addarum ($1\,\text{gur}$) and Nisannum ($93\,\text{gur}$), leaving no barley for the troops' rations for the month of Ayyarum (Month 2).

According to Old Babylonian letter 96212, which two contingents of troops were dispatched to the fortress of Zibbat-narim?

$15$ men of the troops of Dur-Šaarrim supervised by Ina-Palešu and $15$ men of the troops of Yankahu supervised by Muti-Wasi.

What type of clay object from the Ur III period (reign of Šulgi) is shown here, which was used to enclose Tablet 52212 and protect its contents?

A clay tablet envelope bearing cylinder seal impressions

What is the period and genre of Tablet 40833_1, which is written in an uncertain language (possibly Proto-Sumerian)?

Uruk III ($3200\text{--}3000\,\text{BCE}$); Lexical genre.

What is the genre and date of Tablet 40835, which consists of tables of numbers?

Mathematical genre; Old Babylonian period ($1900\text{--}1600\,\text{BCE}$).

What format of clay tablet is pictured here (Tablet 52173), typically used for scribal schooling and inscribed with a literary text honoring Lipit-Eštar?

A round (lenticular / school) tablet

How are lines 1–2 of literary Tablet 52173 ("inim ša2-ga gal2-la lul zi-bi mu-un-zu") translated regarding King Lipit-Eštar?

"(Even in) the heart of the matter, he [Lipit-Ištar] knows what is a lie and what is true"

What multi-sided format is this Old Babylonian Sumerian literary artifact (Tablet 40740), inscribed with the Keš Temple Hymn?

A clay prism

Which two cuneiform syllabic signs, forming the common preposition meaning "to" or "for", are shown here?

a- and na (forming "a-na")